'74-77 Wagoneer Gas Filler Hose

When we first bought our '77 Wagoneer, every time the gas tank got
semi-full, gas would leak out the top of the make-shift filler hose
and run down the inside of the quarterpanel onto the ground. Not
only did it smell bad inside, it was a fire hazard and it prevented
us from putting very much gas in the already-small tank of a very
thirsty 401 V8.

Apparently, '74-77 Wagoneers & Cherokees came from the factory with
a rubber 90-degree elbow that connected the plastic mouth of the
filler tube with the metal section that runs under the body most of
the way to the gas tank. This rubber piece has a tendancy to dry
up and crack, and is no longer available to buy new. One of my
Wag's numerous previous owners had replaced the stock hose with a
bent corregated one that really didn't fit very well and was causing
my leaks.

I ended up having a local exhaust shop
(Exhaust Pros) bend
me a length of 1.75" aluminized tube with a 4"-radius, 90-degree
bend for $10. Actually, a bit tighter than 90-degrees would probably
work even better. The smoother the bend and the larger the radius,
the faster the gas will flow when you're filling the tank. I then
connected this tube to the originals at each end with short 3"
sections of rubber gas hose and a couple hose clamps. Note that
you can't just use any old rubber hose; it has to be rated for
gasoline use otherwise it'll disolve. The the lower end of the tube
on the plastic piece that makes up the filler mouth has two ribs
running the length of it, presumably to glue the two halves together.
I had to shave these ribs off where I wanted to put the new rubber
hose so that it would fit tight and not leak.

After my first fillup with the new hose, I find that it doesn't flow
quite as well as I'd hoped. You still can't use the fastest notch
at the gas pump, but at least you don't have to use less than the
slowest notch, which is how it was before. I think it would have
worked a bit better if my bend radius had been a bit tighter than
it is, but it's not worth my time to remove and fix it. It also
doesn't leak anymore, which is the most important part.

No, my Jeep isn't on fire. The orange glow is from the camera flash...

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